Oil on canvas

Benjamin Franklin was a man of many talents. He was a printer, writer, inventor, statesman, diplomat, and America’s first Postmaster General. He also founded several learned and civic societies, including the American Philosophical Society.

APS. Gift at the bequest of Lamont duPont Copeland, 1983.

Ink on paper

In 1743, Benjamin Franklin proposed a society for “promoting useful knowledge” in the American colonies. The Society would be composed of “ingenious Men” dedicated to improving the world for “the Benefit of Mankind.”

Benjamin Franklin Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Copper

The APS commissioned this seal in 1770. Symbolic figures illustrate the Society’s mission to promote useful knowledge in America. This 18th-century design was altered in 2003 to better reflect the Society’s motto of Nullo Discrimine, or discrimination against no one.

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Ink on paper in bound volume

In 1781, the APS invited Members to sign its first roll book. Today, newly elected Members sign the Society’s third roll book, continuing this tradition.

Can you spot Benjamin Franklin’s signature?

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Hand-colored engraving

In 1783, the APS voted to build Philosophical Hall. Designed by Samuel Vaughan (APS 1784), it was completed in 1789. Later, Charles Willson Peale (APS 1786) opened his museum in the building. The sign advertising his museum is visible in this engraving.

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Inks on paper

In 1796, the APS launched a contest to encourage scientific advancements, including the improvement of fireplaces. They offered $500 in prizes (which now would be worth nearly $9,000). Today, the APS continues to offer awards for scholarly research and innovation.

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Wood, paper, ink, and metal

Artist and museum owner Charles Willson Peale won the Society’s prize for the improvement of fireplaces. Like Benjamin Franklin, Peale experimented with safe and efficient heating technologies that used less firewood, produced less smoke, and posed less risk of fire.

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Copper alloy and iron

David Rittenhouse (APS pre-1769) built this telescope to observe the transit of Venus. Rittenhouse was so excited about this astronomical event that he fainted just before Venus appeared. He recovered quickly, however, and was able to observe the final minutes.

APS. Gift of the estate of David Rittenhouse, 1810.

Ink on paper in bound volume

APS Members published their observations of the transit of Venus in the first issue of the APS Transactions. The Transactions series is still published today, making the APS the oldest continuously running scholarly press in America.

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Ink on paper

Nevil Maskelyne (APS 1771), Great Britain’s Astronomer Royal from 1765 to 1811, coordinated global observations of the transit of Venus. He was especially impressed with Rittenhouse’s transit telescope. Here, Maskelyne asks Franklin to send him the data from the APS-led Philadelphia observations.

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Ink on paper

Other APS Members observed the transit of Venus outside of Philadelphia. John Page (APS 1792), a Virginia planter and amateur astronomer, shared his observations with Reverend James Madison (APS 1780), cousin of the future President of the United States.

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Ink on paper

In 1789, Russian Princess Ekaterina Dashkova became the first woman elected as a Member of the APS. She was the first president of the Academy of the Russian Language and director of Russia’s Imperial Academy of Sciences and Arts.

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Mixed media on paper

Many 18th-century thinkers were intrigued by the possibility of flying machines. French scholar and architect Julien-David Le Roy collected many of these theories, including one that imagined hot air balloons guided by harnessed birds. What could possibly go wrong?

APS. Benjamin Franklin Papers.

Joseph Goldstein Lecturer in Law and Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence at Yale Law School
President of the American Philosophical Society (2017–present)

Upon being elected an officer of the APS, Jefferson expressed the hope that circumstances would “enable me to contribute any thing worthy” to the Society. I certainly had the same wish in April 2017, when I followed in Jefferson’s footsteps and became the 37th President of the APS. Has anyone ever had a more daunting—and inspiring—role model?

Oil on canvas

As APS President for 17 years, Jefferson promoted exploration, studied natural history, and collected Native American languages. Though political adversaries criticized his scientific pursuits, Jefferson trusted that Americans “are too enlightened themselves to believe that ignorance is the best qualification” for holding office.

APS. Gift of William Short, 1830.

Ink on paper

Thomas Jefferson (APS 1780) wrote that being elected President of the APS was “the most flattering incident of my life.” Jefferson held this office from 1797 to 1814—before, during, and after his tenure as President of the United States.

APS. Thomas Jefferson Papers.

Ink on paper in bound volume

Lewis and Clark sketched and described many of the species they encountered. They sent some of these animals back to Jefferson, including a prairie dog that lived out its life in the White House.

Learn more about Lewis and Clark in this video!

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On their journey west, Lewis and Clark collected dozens of plant specimens to carry back to the East Coast. Plants were pressed and then attached to sheets of paper. The specimens were wrapped in oilskin to survive the journey intact.

APS. Gift of Thomas Jefferson, 1805–1806.

Ink on paper in bound volume

As noted in his diary, physician Benjamin Rush provided Lewis and Clark with digestive aids containing mercury. These pills were aptly called “thunderclappers.” Today, experts can pinpoint the expedition’s route using traces of mercury found in the corps’ latrines.

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Engraving

William Clark’s map traces the expedition’s route across the continent. The expedition left St. Louis, Missouri in 1804. Later joined by Sacagawea and other Indigenous guides, they reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805 and returned to St. Louis in 1806.

APS. Map Collection.

Watercolor and pencil on paper

Titian Ramsay Peale II, a Philadelphia naturalist, museum owner, and artist, sketched thousands of species from all over the world. As a naturalist, he accompanied several exploratory expeditions funded or promoted by the APS, including the U.S. Exploring Expedition.

APS. Titian Ramsay Peale II Sketches.

Watercolor and pencil on paper

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Ink on paper

Naturalist John L. LeConte (APS 1853) studied new species of beetles collected on the U.S. Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). Titian Ramsay Peale II (APS 1833) and other naturalists on the expedition collected over 60,000 plant and animal specimens.

APS. John Lawrence LeConte Papers.

Ink on paper in bound volume

Naturalist Thomas Say (APS 1817) published the first study of shells in the United States. He also named over 1,500 insects and is recognized as the father of American entomology (the study of bugs). Say was APS Curator from 1825 to 1829.

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Pencils with ink on paper

Lucy W. S. Say, Thomas’s wife and a prominent naturalist in her own right, produced the illustrations for American Conchology. It was not uncommon for women to assist male family members with their scholarship.

APS. Thomas Say Papers.

Yellow gold pocket watch

Philadelphian Elisha Kent Kane served as a physician on Henry Grinnell’s expedition to the Arctic. Kane then led his own expedition in 1853 despite suffering from poor health. He likely carried this pocket watch with him on his expeditions.

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Ink and pencil on paper

Polar bears frequently troubled Arctic expeditions by spoiling stores of supplies and attacking men who left the ice-bound ships. Despite the threat polar bears posed, Elisha Kent Kane must have found something humorous about their waggly tails.

APS. Elisha Kent Kane Papers.

Ink and pencil on paper

Arctic exploration was full of perils. Here, Kane’s sketch shows his men trying to free their ship, Advance, from the ice.

APS. Elisha Kent Kane Papers.

Ink and pencil on paper

APS. Elisha Kent Kane Papers.

Ink on paper

Lady Franklin mobilized several expeditions to search for her husband, Sir John Franklin. His 1845 expedition to the Arctic had never returned. She chose Elisha Kent Kane to lead an expedition in 1853. Seeking glory and useful knowledge, Kane agreed.

APS. Elisha Kent Kane Papers.

Ink on paper

Isaac Israel Hayes accompanied Kane’s 1853 Arctic expedition as a surgeon. With funding from the APS, Hayes led his own Arctic expedition in 1860. Hayes hoped to explore as far north as possible and learn more about the region.

APS. Elisha Kent Kane Papers.

Ink and pencil on paper

Kane and other explorers kept detailed records of the temperature, barometric pressure, and wind direction during the course of their journey. This data is now useful to scientists tracking the way the climate has changed over time.

APS. Elisha Kent Kane Papers.

Distinguished Scholar, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesa Lab

The APS has preserved this valuable weather data of air surface temperatures and barometric pressure from 1853 to 1855 in western Greenland. The data was an integral part of the Arctic expedition headed by explorer and surgeon Elisha Kent Kane.

Kane’s scientific data allows for comparisons with present-day temperatures for the Arctic region. Although Kane’s data is limited, it suggests a regional warming of about 5°C or 9°F over 164 years. This amount of regional warming is consistent with other field observations and computer climate model simulations that I have performed with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.